Rainn Wilson

Rainn Percival Dietrich Wilson (born January 20, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, podcaster, producer, writer, and director best known for his role as Dwight Schrute on the NBC sitcom The Office (2005–2013), for which he received three consecutive Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

Born in Seattle, Wilson began acting at the University of Washington.

Wilson was born on January 20, 1966, at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, Washington, the son of Shay Cooper, a yoga teacher and actress, and Robert G. Wilson (1941–2020), a novelist, artist and business consultant who wrote the science fiction novel Tentacles of Dawn.

Wilson is of part Norwegian ancestry.

From ages three to five, he lived with his father and stepmother, Kristin, in Nicaragua before they returned to Seattle after their divorce.

He attended Kellogg Middle School and Shorecrest High School in Shoreline, Washington, where he played the clarinet and bassoon in the school band.

He transferred to and graduated from New Trier High School after his family moved to Wilmette, Illinois to serve at the Baháʼí National Center.

Following his 1986 graduation, he worked in theatre in New York City.

Wilson attended Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts before transferring to the University of Washington in Seattle, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in drama in 1986.

He then enrolled in New York University's Graduate Acting Program at the Tisch School of the Arts where he graduated with an MFA in acting and was a member of The Acting Company.

Between acting jobs in New York City, he drove a moving van to make ends meet.

Wilson worked extensively in the theater early in his career, performing with The Public Theater, the Ensemble Studio Theatre, Playwrights Horizons, the Roundabout, and the Guthrie Theater, among others.

He played one of the eight chorus members in Richard Foreman's 1996 production of Suzan-Lori Parks' Venus, and was nominated for three Helen Hayes Awards for Best Supporting Actor for his work at the Arena Stage.

Wilson first appeared onscreen in 1997 in an episode of the soap opera One Life to Live, followed by a supporting role in the television film The Expendables (1999).

He made his film debut in Galaxy Quest (1999), followed by supporting parts in Almost Famous (2000), Steven Soderbergh's Full Frontal (2002), and House of 1000 Corpses (2003).

He made his feature film debut in Galaxy Quest (1999), followed by a minor supporting role in Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous (2000).

In 2001, he played Dennis Van De Meer in When Billie Beat Bobby.

He also had minor roles in America's Sweethearts (2001) and the Melvin Van Peebles biopic Baadasssss! (2003).

He guest-starred in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Entourage, Monk, Numbers, Charmed, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job, and Reno 911!.

In 2002, he was cast in a lead role in Rob Zombie's horror film House of 1000 Corpses (2003).

He also had a recurring part as Arthur Martin in the HBO series Six Feet Under from 2003 to 2005.

Beginning in 2003, Wilson played Arthur Martin, an intern at Fisher & Diaz Funeral Home in HBO's Six Feet Under, earning a Screen Actors Guild award for best drama ensemble for the series.

Wilson was cast as Dwight Schrute in The Office in 2005, a role which he played until the show's conclusion in 2013.

In 2005, Wilson appeared in the comedy film Sahara and in the independent mockumentary film The Life Coach.

The same year, he was cast as neurotic assistant manager Dwight Schrute in the network series The Office, for which he was nominated for Emmy Awards for Best Supporting Actor in 2007, 2008 and 2009, and won two SAG awards as part of Best Comedy Ensemble on the series.

As well as acting on the series, he directed three episodes: "The Cover-Up" (season 6), "Classy Christmas" (season 7) and "Get the Girl" (season 8).

On February 24, 2007, Wilson hosted Saturday Night Live, becoming the second The Office cast member to host (after Steve Carell).

During the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup, Wilson appeared in ads for the 2007 United States women's national soccer team as public relations manager "Jim Mike".

His other film credits include lead roles in the comedies The Rocker (2008) and Super (2010), and supporting roles in the horror films Cooties (2014) and The Boy (2015).

Wilson starred in the Fox Atomic comedy The Rocker (2008).

In 2009, he was heard in the computer-animated science fiction film Monsters vs. Aliens as the villain Gallaxhar, and voiced Gargamel in Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017).

In 2009 he joined the voice cast of DreamWorks Animation film Monsters vs. Aliens as villainous alien overlord Gallaxhar; and was featured in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, playing a university professor.

In August 2010, he appeared in the music video for Ferraby Lionheart's "Harry and Bess" and Andy Grammer's "Keep Your Head Up" as the "creepy elevator guy".

In 2010, he had the lead role of the unhinged protagonist in Super.

Critic Roger Ebert faulted the script, but praised Wilson's performance: "[Wilson] never seems to be trying to be funny, and that's a strength."

For his role of Paul, the bereft father, in Hesher (2011), Roger Ebert said of Wilson's work: “He has that rare quality in an actor, an uncanny presence.

Wilson published his autobiography, The Bassoon King, in 2015, and cofounded the digital media company SoulPancake in 2008.

He has had the guest-starring role of Harry Mudd on Star Trek: Discovery (2017) and Star Trek: Short Treks (2018), and a supporting role in The Meg (2018).

He is also the voice of Lex Luthor in the DC Animated Movie Universe.

From 2018 to 2021, he starred as Trevor on the CBS sitcom Mom.